Lewis Hamilton beats Valtteri Bottas at the death to take Portuguese GP pole
Lewis Hamilton continued to dominate in his quest to be crowned Formula One's most victorious driver as he will start from pole position after he edged out Valtteri Bottas in qualifying for the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Hamilton drew level with Michael Schumacher on 91 wins at the Eifel Grand Prix in Germany earlier this month.
And the world champion will now start as the favourite to make history here in the Algarve on Sunday after seeing off Mercedes team-mate Bottas' challenge by just 0.102 seconds with his final lap of a nail-biting session.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen will line up from third, one place ahead of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
The running on F1's first jaunt back to Portugal in 24 years was delayed by 30 minutes following repair work to a dislodged drain cover on the exit of the penultimate corner.
Track marshals laid down fresh tarmac to keep the loose metal in place, and scoured the 2.89 miles of track for additional ill-fitting drains.
But when the action eventually started, it looked as though it would be Bottas who would carry over his fine practice form to secure his second pole in as many races.
The Finnish driver headed into qualifying with a practice cleansweep under his belt, but Hamilton executed a different strategy in Q3 by completing one extra lap than his team-mate, and taking pole.
"I cannot tell you how hard that was today," said Hamilton after securing his 97th career pole. "We have got a great car but you have to drive the nuts off it to pull out a lap.
A rapid final run, and a 9️⃣7️⃣th pole for @LewisHamilton 💪
The moment he put it on pole at @AIAPortimao 👏#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/kgZtq2431b— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
"I have just been digging and digging to find that extra time. I did three laps to give me a stab in the final session at beating Valtteri's time.
"He decided to do one and it provided me with an opportunity and it worked. That last lap just got better and better."
George Russell's future has been the source of much speculation here after it emerged that he could be replaced by Sergio Perez at Williams next year.
Williams have recently been acquired by Dorilton and the belief is that they want drivers who bring cash to the British team, putting Russell's 2021 seat in danger.
Here, the 22-year-old Mercedes junior delivered another fine one-lap performance to extend his undefeated qualifying streak over his team-mates — Robert Kubica in 2019 and Nicholas Latifi this year — to 33.
Russell sealed his passage through to Q2, lapping a full second faster than his team-mate, before finishing 14th, one spot ahead of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari.
The sooner Vettel leaves Ferrari the better for both parties. The German, who will head to Aston Martin next season, starts Sunday's race 13th in the championship, a staggering 213 points behind Hamilton.
Final Positions after Qualifying
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1min 16.652secs
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 1:16.754
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:16.904
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:17.090
Sergio Perez (Mex) Racing Point 1:17.223
Alexander Albon (Tha) Red Bull 1:17.437
Carlos Sainz (Spa) McLaren 1:17.520
Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:17.525
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:17.803
Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Renault 1:17.481
Esteban Ocon (Fra) Renault 1:17.614
Lance Stroll (Can) Racing Point 1:17.626
Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:17.728
George Russell (Gbr) Williams 1:17.788
Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:17.919
Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:18.201
Antonio Giovinazzi (Ita) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:18.323
Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 1:18.364
Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:18.508
Nicholas Latifi (Can) Williams 1:18.777
02:45 PMHamilton reacts to his 97th pole position
LEWIS: "I can't tell you how hard that was today! I've just seen that Valtteri topped every session, and I've just been digging to find the time... I chose to do three laps laps to have a chance to beat his time"#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/lLhHH6ZISw
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
Hamilton reacts to his 97th pole position
LEWIS: "I can't tell you how hard that was today! I've just seen that Valtteri topped every session, and I've just been digging to find the time... I chose to do three laps laps to have a chance to beat his time"#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/lLhHH6ZISw
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
100 is on the cards before the end of the season.
02:42 PMVerstappen reacts to a decent third
MAX: "I'm happy with P3, the lap was pretty decent. We're not too far behind.
The start is going to be important. We'll feel our way into the race and see how we go from there"#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/qQtGatCuWM
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
02:39 PMBottas reacts to second
VALTTERI: "Ultimately I should have gone for two timed laps as well... it would have been nice to start from the clean side, but we'll see what we can do from P2"#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/F6Ps3I0sdp
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
Verstappen reacts to a decent third
MAX: "I'm happy with P3, the lap was pretty decent. We're not too far behind.
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
The start is going to be important. We'll feel our way into the race and see how we go from there"#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/qQtGatCuWM
02:39 PMBottas reacts to second
VALTTERI: "Ultimately I should have gone for two timed laps as well... it would have been nice to start from the clean side, but we'll see what we can do from P2"#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/F6Ps3I0sdp
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
Bottas reacts to second
VALTTERI: "Ultimately I should have gone for two timed laps as well... it would have been nice to start from the clean side, but we'll see what we can do from P2"#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/F6Ps3I0sdp
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
Suppose he has slightly fresher tyres for tomorrow...
02:37 PMQ3 - Classification
- HAM
- BOT +0.102
- VER +0.252
- LEC +0.438
- PER +0.571
- ALB +0.785
- SAI +0.868
- NOR +0.873
- GAS +1.151
- RIC (no time)
02:33 PMLEWIS HAMILTON TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE 2020 PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX!
Q3 - Classification
- HAM
- BOT +0.102
- VER +0.252
- LEC +0.438
- PER +0.571
- ALB +0.785
- SAI +0.868
- NOR +0.873
- GAS +1.151
- RIC (no time)
02:33 PMLEWIS HAMILTON TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE 2020 PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX!
LEWIS HAMILTON TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE 2020 PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX!
WOW! His second run on the medium tyres did it. Pulled it out of the bag. So characteristically Hamilton, that. Pole position by a tenth of a second! Bottas is going to be gutted... why did he wait and only do one run? Verstappen third, Leclerc fourth.
02:32 PMQ3 - Albon fourth...
Q3 - Albon fourth...
As we wait for Hamilton to come round... he's quickest in the middle sector.
Verstappen nips in to the front row... we still wait for Hamilton...
02:31 PMQ3 - Bottas goes quickest
Q3 - Bottas goes quickest
By 0.180s! Can he hold on? Hamilton is on another run...I think... he's close.
02:30 PMQ3 - Bottas goes two tenths up in sector one!
Q3 - Bottas goes two tenths up in sector one!
That's huge but can he hang onto it?
What's sector two like? He runs slightly into the gravel on exit... he's 0.264s up after two sectors... is Hamilton going again?!
02:29 PMQ3 - What can Bottas do?
Q3 - What can Bottas do?
He's about to start his quick run...
Verstappen is not setting the world alight.
02:29 PMQ3 - Gasly on his first run
Q3 - Gasly on his first run
Can Verstappen find a tenth on the softs and upset the order? Gasly stays ninth after setting his time. Hamilton is just 0.040s off the quickest time after two sectors... are the tyres coming to him? He was quickest in the middle sector...
Yes, he does! Quickest for Hamilton by just 0.052s...
02:28 PMQ3 - Final runs getting going
Q3 - Final runs getting going
Hamilton is out on a set of mediums, though. That suggests he's going to do... two runs? Not sure. Slightly strange but perhaps the soft isn't working for them all that well. Bottas is out now, on the medium tyre too.
02:26 PMThey're replacing Ricciardo's rear wing
They're replacing Ricciardo's rear wing
That's going to be tight to get that on and ready to go in time. Four minutes left.
02:26 PMQ3 - Albon going again
Q3 - Albon going again
Can he improve? Not really, only seventh quickest, behind Sainz by a small margin. The lap is likely going to be deleted, too, for a track limits infringement.
02:25 PMQ3 - Current order
- BOT
- HAM
- VER
- LEC
- PER
- SAI
- ALB
- NOR
- GAS (no time)
- RIC (no time)
Q3 - Current order
- BOT
- HAM
- VER
- LEC
- PER
- SAI
- ALB
- NOR
- GAS (no time)
- RIC (no time)
No sign of Ricciardo yet, not sure if his Renault is going to be fixed in time. It wasn't huge damage.
02:24 PMQ3 - Verstappen goes fastest in sector one...
Q3 - Verstappen goes fastest in sector one...
Leclerc goes third, but not for long. Verstappen has a poor middle sector and goes third, 0.121s off Bottas's time. That's not too shabby and gives him an outside shot at pole. A lot of time to find, though, assuming neither Mercedes goes quicker.
02:23 PMQ3 - Looks like a few drivers are doing two warm up laps here
Q3 - Looks like a few drivers are doing two warm up laps here
Albon goes 0.888s slower and third but everyone else is over four seconds slower. So we wait for those.
02:22 PMQ3 - Bottas with a 1.16.986...
Q3 - Bottas with a 1.16.986...
What does Hamilton do? He's second... but not by much at all! Just 0.047s.
02:21 PMQ3 - Bottas has the edge in sector one...
Q3 - Bottas has the edge in sector one...
Hamilton in sector two...
02:20 PMQ3 begins!
Q3 begins!
Bottas? Hamilton? Or Verstappen? One of the first two, surely...
02:18 PMRicciardo's little excursion
Whoa! Danny Ric goes for a spin at the end of Q2
He bips the rear wing on the barrier, but he gets out of the gravel, and he's made it into Q3 😅#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/XQ5e3tsKKI
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
Ricciardo's little excursion
Whoa! Danny Ric goes for a spin at the end of Q2
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
He bips the rear wing on the barrier, but he gets out of the gravel, and he's made it into Q3 😅#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/XQ5e3tsKKI
Still, he's beaten Ocon in every dry qualifying session this year.
02:16 PMIncident involving Gasly and Perez looked at after the session
Incident involving Gasly and Perez looked at after the session
Not sure what happened there, though I presume blocking of some kind.
02:13 PMWho is out?
Who is out?
Ocon, Stroll, Kvyat, Vettel and Russell all fail to make it through.
02:13 PMQ2 ends - Classification
- BOT
- HAM
- VER
- PER
- SAI
- NOR
- GAS
- LEC
- ALB
- RIC
- OCO
- STR
- KVY
- RUS
- VET
02:12 PMRICCIARDO INTO THE BARRIERS
Q2 ends - Classification
- BOT
- HAM
- VER
- PER
- SAI
- NOR
- GAS
- LEC
- ALB
- RIC
- OCO
- STR
- KVY
- RUS
- VET
02:12 PMRICCIARDO INTO THE BARRIERS
RICCIARDO INTO THE BARRIERS
He loses it and goes backwards. It's quite a light impact, though, and he's able to get going and continue. He has made it into the next session, though, but will there be any damage?
02:11 PMQ2 - Verstappen stays third
Q2 - Verstappen stays third
0.572s off the pace. Russell going well but it's only enough for 14th, though that is ahead of Vettel, but for how long? Leclerc gets through on the medium tyres, can Vettel? Nope. He stays 15th.
02:10 PMQ2 - Final runs getting underway
Q2 - Final runs getting underway
Bottas and Hamilton stay in, which means that Hamilton will be on tyres that are two laps older. Ocon not looking lik he's going to get into the top 10 here and indeed he doesn't. Only good enough to stay 11th. Verstappen on a good run...
02:09 PMQ2 - Just a few cars out there at the moment
Q2 - Just a few cars out there at the moment
As we wait for the end-of-session rush. Kvyat trying to get himself out of Q2... and he can't.
02:06 PMQ2 - Red Bull looking significantly less handy in this session
Q2 - Red Bull looking significantly less handy in this session
Verstappen 0.6s off Bottas and on the quicker tyres, too.
02:05 PMQ2 - Order after the first runs
- BOT
- HAM
- VER
- PER
- SAI
- NOR
- GAS
- LEC
- ALB
- RIC
DROP ZONE: - OCO
- STR
- KVY
- VET
02:04 PMQ2 - Renault not looking too sharp here
Q2 - Order after the first runs
- BOT
- HAM
- VER
- PER
- SAI
- NOR
- GAS
- LEC
- ALB
- RIC
DROP ZONE: - OCO
- STR
- KVY
- VET
02:04 PMQ2 - Renault not looking too sharp here
Q2 - Renault not looking too sharp here
10th and 11th currently, with Ocon in the drop zone.
Q2 - Run 1
— Renault F1 Team (@RenaultF1Team) October 24, 2020
P10 // Daniel 1:17.481
P11 // Esteban 1:17.614 #RSspirit #PortugueseGP pic.twitter.com/YEapVS2nZg
02:03 PMQ2 - Verstappen improves on his second run on the softs
Q2 - Verstappen improves on his second run on the softs
He'll have to start on those if he doesn't improve.
02:02 PMQ2 - Hamilton on another run on the same set of tyres
Q2 - Hamilton on another run on the same set of tyres
He goes second, 0.358s off his team-mate's pace. Not great, but should be through with that time. Albon having a bit of a difficult lap it seems. He doesn't improve on his initial time and stays eighth.
02:01 PMQ2 - Order so far
- BOT
- PER
- NOR
- VER
- GAS
- LEC
- ALB
- RIC
- STR
- KVY
DROP ZONE: - VET
- RUS
- HAM
- SAI
- OCO
02:01 PMQ2 - Seems it was traffic that held up Hamilton
Q2 - Order so far
- BOT
- PER
- NOR
- VER
- GAS
- LEC
- ALB
- RIC
- STR
- KVY
DROP ZONE: - VET
- RUS
- HAM
- SAI
- OCO
02:01 PMQ2 - Seems it was traffic that held up Hamilton
Q2 - Seems it was traffic that held up Hamilton
Norris, in the mean time, goes third, 0.855s off Bottas's time. Verstappen can't beat that, though. Bottas on the medium tyres here, everyone else apart from Leclerc, Vettel and Hamilton on the softs.
01:59 PMQ2 - Bottas looking handy
Q2 - Bottas looking handy
And indeed he is handy, doing the quickest middle sector. Perez beats Stroll by half a second, with Gasly nipping in behind him by a tenth or so. Bottas beats them all but Hamilton has a poor lap, losing bags of time in the final sector, ending seven seconds off the pace. Not sure what happened there.
01:58 PMQ2 - Hamilton going well in S1
Q2 - Hamilton going well in S1
He's just up on Bottas by a smidgen. Stroll goes quickest initially, with a 1.17.626, though, a tenth ahead of Kvyat.
01:57 PMQ2 begins
Q2 begins
15 minutes to go.
01:52 PMThat's a fine lap from Gasly
That's a fine lap from Gasly
He has been in good form this season and particularly this weekend.
01:51 PMQ1 ends - Classification
- HAM
- VER
- BOT
- GAS
- PER
- LEC
- ALB
- VET
- NOR
- RIC
- SAI
- STR
- OCO
- KVY
- RUS
OUT: - RAI
- GIO
- GRO
- MAG
- LAT
01:50 PMQ1 - Russell looking good at the moment
Q1 ends - Classification
- HAM
- VER
- BOT
- GAS
- PER
- LEC
- ALB
- VET
- NOR
- RIC
- SAI
- STR
- OCO
- KVY
- RUS
OUT: - RAI
- GIO
- GRO
- MAG
- LAT
01:50 PMQ1 - Russell looking good at the moment
Q1 - Russell looking good at the moment
Vettel moves out of danger, Russell has two green sectors... can he get out? Course he can! P15! He knocks Raikkonen out with a lap time that was 1.103s off the pace. Decent.
📻 "WOOO! Nice one guys, that was good!" #GR63 through to Q2 👏#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 | #WeAreWilliams 💙 pic.twitter.com/sHd1tfX2Fz
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) October 24, 2020
01:49 PMQ1 - Latifi pushing to get out
Q1 - Latifi pushing to get out
But I don't think he has anywhere near the lap time to do it. He stays 19th, behind Russell by nearly four tenths. Grosjean cannot get out comfortably either, staying 15th and then being knocked out when Raikkonen improves. Russell is on another flyer...
01:47 PMQ1 - 90 seconds left
Q1 - 90 seconds left
Ocon only 12th, though just over a second off the pace. I think he'll be okay with that but it's hardly setting he world alight.
01:46 PMQ1 - Albon pops up into sixth
Q1 - Albon pops up into sixth
But it's not an especially good lap. Russell cannot get out of the drop zone, going only 16th...
01:45 PMQ1 - Four minutes to go
Q1 - Four minutes to go
Vettel in a little bit of bother here. He'll have to improve on his second run or he's at risk of elimination.
01:44 PMQ1 - Drivers in the drop zone after the first runs
Q1 - Drivers in the drop zone after the first runs
Grosjean, Raikkonen, Russell, Magnussen and Latifi. In that order.
01:43 PMQ1 - Hamilton goes quickest on his second hot lap
Q1 - Hamilton goes quickest on his second hot lap
0.051s ahead of Verstappen. It's close, then. Though you'd expect Mercedes to be holding something back.
01:42 PMQ1 - Verstappen quickest!
Q1 - Verstappen quickest!
Is that a surprise? It's not by much, though, but he's quicker than both Mercedes. 0.066 ahead of the Finn.
01:41 PMQ1 - Stroll goes eighth, well behind Perez
Q1 - Stroll goes eighth, well behind Perez
Here's the order at the moment.
- BOT
- HAM
- PER
- LEC
- GAS
- NOR
- SAI
- STR
- VER
- ALB
- OCO
- RIC
- KVY
- VET
- GIO
DROP ZONE: - GRO
- RAI
- RUS
- MAG
- LAT
01:40 PMQ1 - 10 minutes to go
Q1 - 10 minutes to go
And Bottas goes quickest, with Hamilton 0.050s behind. Perez still up there, what can Verstappen do?
01:36 PMQ1 - McLaren looking good so far
Q1 - McLaren looking good so far
Sainz goes second, 0.116s off Perez and Norris splits the Renaults. Suppose that might be decent rather than good.
01:35 PMQ1 - Ocon goes second
Q1 - Ocon goes second
Though not many other runners from the front of the midfield setting a time yet. He's then pipped by Ricciardo by two tenths. How good is that lap from Perez, then?
01:34 PMQ1 - Perez going well right now
Q1 - Perez going well right now
He's just so consistent, even if qualifying isn't his strong point. He goes quickest with a 1.18.040, 0.34s ahead of Pierre Gasly in the AlphaTauri.
01:32 PMQ1 - 17 minutes to go
Q1 - 17 minutes to go
Only Bottas, Hamilton and Verstappen not out there. As you'd expect and as is normal these days.
01:31 PMQ1 begins!
Q1 begins!
And on time! Hurrah!
01:27 PMWell, drivers are in their cars
Well, drivers are in their cars
So it seems like we're ready to run shortly. They'd have surely updated us if not... well, you'd hope so.
01:23 PMCan't see this starting at 2.30pm, sorry
Can't see this starting at 2.30pm, sorry
Well, we're only eight minutes away from that, so it seems extremely unlikely. How long, though? How long is a piece of string?
01:16 PMHate to say it...
Hate to say it...
But looks like they are having a good look round the track and finding more issues with the drain covers. Not sure if they did this after FP3. Perhaps it should have been done before the weekend got going, really.
01:10 PMAh, looks like another loose drain cover has been found
Ah, looks like another loose drain cover has been found
And they are working on securing that now. This could be a longer wait, then.
There are now repair works taking place on another loose drain cover at Turn 7. #PortugueseGP
— Philip Duncan (@PhilDuncanF1) October 24, 2020
01:09 PMSo, looks like they've filled in the drain with some kind of substance...
So, looks like they've filled in the drain with some kind of substance...
...and are now trying to dry it out with what looks like a hairdryer...
01:03 PMHere's the incident which caused the issue
In case you missed FP3...
This bit of drain damage caused problems on the exit of Turn 14#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/GIaskIS3pZ
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
Here's the incident which caused the issue
In case you missed FP3...
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
This bit of drain damage caused problems on the exit of Turn 14#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/GIaskIS3pZ
You can't have heavy bits of drain floating around the circuit at any speed, especially not around the outside of the high-speed turn 14, onto the final corner and the pit straight.
01:00 PMStart of Q1 delayed
Start of Q1 delayed
This is due to damage to a vent which was caused at the end of FP3. They are working on the issue now, and we hope that a start can happen with just 30 minutes delay.
12:48 PMFernando Alonso: 'The whole environment of F1 is so extreme, you can't find that elsewhere'
Fernando Alonso: 'The whole environment of F1 is so extreme, you can't find that elsewhere'
Earlier this week we published a full-length feature interview with the two-time world champion where he talked about his return to the F1 grid, Hamilton vs Schumacher and the Indy 500 among other things. On being out for two years and seeing Hamilton win, he said it has been perhaps a little easier for him.
Maybe it is not painful when you see the feeling that you had when you left Formula One and the problems that you thought that the sport had at that moment are unfortunately still there. So, the last two years, in a way I didn’t miss anything — it’s just two cars running around and winning all the races.
12:35 PMHamilton wasn't the only one to have a bit of an off this weekend
Hamilton wasn't the only one to have a bit of an off this weekend
And he will not be the last.
A rare off-track excursion for Lewis 😮#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/qmaE35dSNp
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
12:33 PMBit of a radio mix-up for Leclerc in final practice
Bit of a radio mix-up for Leclerc in final practice
Must've been quite confusing.
🤷🏻♀️🤷♂️#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/1FExQCXDWF
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020
12:29 PMRomain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen to leave Haas at end of season
Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen to leave Haas at end of season
All change at the American team this year, which means that there are two vital seats up for grabs on the grid next year. It's a shame for Magnussen and Grosjean that they will likely be out of F1 at the end of the year but there is more to motorsport. Perhaps Formula E for Romain and Endurance racing for Kevin, following his dad. Anyway, read more on that news here.
12:19 PMCurrent driver standings: top 10
12:07 PMFinal times after third practice
- Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 1min 16.654secs
- Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:16.680
- Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:16.812
- Pierre Gasly (Fra) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:16.930
- Alexander Albon (Tha) Red Bull 1:17.117
- Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:17.229
- Carlos Sainz (Spa) McLaren 1:17.238
- Sergio Perez (Mex) Racing Point 1:17.297
- Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:17.478
- Esteban Ocon (Fra) Renault 1:17.666
- Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:17.685
- Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:17.720
- Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:17.922
- Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Renault 1:17.935
- George Russell (Gbr) Williams 1:18.032
- Lance Stroll (Can) Racing Point 1:18.100
- Antonio Giovinazzi (Ita) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:18.201
- Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:18.287
- Nicholas Latifi (Can) Williams 1:18.397
- Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 1:18.454
11:43 AMGood afternoon F1 fans
Current driver standings: top 10
12:07 PMFinal times after third practice
- Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 1min 16.654secs
- Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:16.680
- Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:16.812
- Pierre Gasly (Fra) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:16.930
- Alexander Albon (Tha) Red Bull 1:17.117
- Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:17.229
- Carlos Sainz (Spa) McLaren 1:17.238
- Sergio Perez (Mex) Racing Point 1:17.297
- Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:17.478
- Esteban Ocon (Fra) Renault 1:17.666
- Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:17.685
- Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:17.720
- Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:17.922
- Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Renault 1:17.935
- George Russell (Gbr) Williams 1:18.032
- Lance Stroll (Can) Racing Point 1:18.100
- Antonio Giovinazzi (Ita) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:18.201
- Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:18.287
- Nicholas Latifi (Can) Williams 1:18.397
- Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 1:18.454
11:43 AMGood afternoon F1 fans
Final times after third practice
- Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 1min 16.654secs
- Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:16.680
- Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:16.812
- Pierre Gasly (Fra) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:16.930
- Alexander Albon (Tha) Red Bull 1:17.117
- Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:17.229
- Carlos Sainz (Spa) McLaren 1:17.238
- Sergio Perez (Mex) Racing Point 1:17.297
- Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:17.478
- Esteban Ocon (Fra) Renault 1:17.666
- Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:17.685
- Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:17.720
- Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:17.922
- Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Renault 1:17.935
- George Russell (Gbr) Williams 1:18.032
- Lance Stroll (Can) Racing Point 1:18.100
- Antonio Giovinazzi (Ita) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:18.201
- Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:18.287
- Nicholas Latifi (Can) Williams 1:18.397
- Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 1:18.454
11:43 AMGood afternoon F1 fans
Good afternoon F1 fans
And welcome to our coverage for the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix from the Autodromo do Algarve just outside of Portimao. It's the first time F1 has raced in Portugal since 1996, when Jacques Villneueve won for Williams.
F1 has visited this relatively new track in the past but only really for testing purposes and the last time was so long ago that any data that the teams got from that will be largely meaningless to the current crop of V6-turbo hybrid cars with tonnes of downforce.
Yesterday's practice session was fairly interesting for once as the cars struggled with the low grip conditions, high winds and elevation changes throughout. It was nice to see the drivers challenged out there and there were numerous and various spins.
Thankfully everyone managed to keep it out of the wall, although that is not to say there was no drama. Late on in the Friday afternoon session Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll collided in a mostly avoidable incident, bringing out the session's second red flag. Verstappen blamed Stroll, who was unable to continue. It seems that Verstappen assumed that Stroll was on a cool-down lap and would eventually back out of it on the outside of turn one.
Verstappen had just started a hot lap and stayed completely committed. Two into one doesn't go, as they say. The stewards investigated the incident but neither driver was penalised.
Because Friday's running was so stop/start — there was 30 minutes at the start of FP2 where every driver was testing Pirelli's 2021 prototype tyres — we didn't get a true reading of the running order and gaps. We have a bit more idea now after this morning's running and, surprise, surprise, Mercedes are top.
Valtteri Bottas completed a practice triple, with Lewis Hamilton second, 0.026s behind him. Max Verstappen was third, only 0.132s behind the Briton. It was quite a compacted field with just 1.4s separating third from 17th.
I don't think qualifying will be all plain sailing so hopeful of a three-way fight for pole for once.